Cologne/Caracas. About a month after the severe earthquake in Venezuela, thousands of people are believed to still be buried under the rubble. Their relatives are staying in mostly makeshift tents next to the collapsed houses, hoping that the bodies will soon be recovered so they can bury their loved ones. “The strain on these people is almost unimaginable. For four weeks, they have been living next to the deceased. They know that their loved ones are no longer alive, yet they still cannot bury them. Psychosocial support for the grieving and deeply distressed survivors is now particularly important,” reports Jonas Jung, Emergency Relief Coordinator at Malteser International, who was on the ground immediately after the earthquake. Malteser International is now launching psychological support for the people through a local partner, initially with three psychologists. From now on, the mobile teams will provide not only medical assistance but also psychosocial support.
“In addition, we fear that cholera could break out due to the poor sanitary conditions in the emergency shelters in the particularly hard-hit areas of La Guaira and Miranda. That is why we have simultaneously expanded our water and sanitation measures, set up hand-washing stations, and distributed informational materials on hygiene,” Jung continued.
The mobile medical teams from Malteser and its partner began their work immediately after the earthquake and have treated around 3,000 people to date. Their work is supported by Aktion Deutschland Hilft. Malteser International has been collaborating for years with the Venezuelan Order of Malta as well as with local partner organizations.
Note to Editors:
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Jonas Jung, emergency relief coordinator at Malteser International, is available in Cologne for interviews and on-the-record comments.
Contact: Katharina Kiecol, +49 (0)221 9822-7181
People in the earthquake-affected area urgently need donations:
Malteser Hilfsdienst e. V.
IBAN: DE10 3706 0120 1201 2000 12
S.W.I.F.T.: GENODED 1PA7
Reference: “Venezuela Earthquake”
Malteser is a member of the “Aktion Deutschland Hilft” alliance
Donation reference: “Venezuela Earthquake”
IBAN: DE62 3702 0500 0000 1020 30 (SozialBank)
